Mercedes made a surprise leap back to the front of the grid in Las Vegas — and hundreds of F1 Fantasy teams prospered because of it.

While George Russell led the way on track — winning dominantly from pole position and scoring 36 F1 Fantasy points in the process — it was his team-mate Lewis Hamilton who topped the F1 Fantasy leaderboards: climbing from tenth and completing nine overtakes to finish second. The drive was worthy of 46 F1 Fantasy points and also benefitted those who housed the Mercedes constructor card, as the Brackley outfit’s 1-2 finish meant it scored 82 points — at least ten points more than any other team.

So should Mercedes remain a part of your F1 Fantasy squad heading into the final sprint race weekend of the season Qatar, where big points are on the table? History suggests you should.

Last year’s trip to Losail was a never-ending series of ‘What ifs?’ for Mercedes, as a poor sprint qualifying performance put Hamilton on the back foot in 12th, but he was still able to recover to fifth — directly behind his team-mate Russell. Performance for the Grand Prix looked even more positive as the Brackley pair lined up in second and third — but any chances of a strong showing were put to rest by Turn 1, as both Mercedes collided into each other and Hamilton span out into a gravel trap.

The team’s performance in Las Vegas has showcased that Mercedes does still possess the ability to score big points, and lower on-track temperatures at Losail (compared to last year) could allow the W15 to flourish once again.

However, we wouldn’t suggest going all in on Mercedes.

As Ferrari is expected to struggle — its SF24 has been more suited to high-speed straights and low-speed corners (of which there are few in Qatar) — we’d recommend swapping out the Scuderia as one of your chosen constructors and replacing it with Mercedes. That way, you can benefit from the performance of both Hamilton and Russell — all for the relatively low price of $25m.

But how should you fill out the rest of your line-up? Read on for more tips and predictions for the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix and remember to join our Motor Sport Fantasy league.

There are more on the rules and scoring in our F1 Fantasy full guide; and if you need some creative inspiration, check out our F1 Fantasy team name generator. For more information on the chips available and when to use them, we’ve got an F1 Fantasy chips explainer too.

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How to score the most F1 Fantasy points at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix

Qatar hosts the final sprint race of the season — meaning there is an extra session in which F1 Fantasy players can score points.

If you still have your Limitless chip (which allows you to build a line-up with an unlimited budget) or your Triple DRS chip (which triples the score of a selected driver) we’d suggest activating them this weekend to take advantage of the additional scoring opportunity.

But, as Motor Sport has stated in previous F1 Fantasy guides, the sprint race weekend format can also create additional chances for costly crashes and DNFs. While there is a reduced reward for the winner of the sprint (eight points for a win descending to one point for eighth), the 20-point penalty for failing to finish remains the same.

The high-speed layout of Losail can often force drivers together too, so the best way to score as many F1 Fantasy points this weekend is by pairing selecting a line-up that has a blend of race-winning potential as well as experience.

If you’ve chosen to follow our advice and picked Mercedes over Ferrari as one of your constructor cards, we’d suggest filling out the rest of your line-up with as many McLaren assets as possible.

If not for Max Verstappen and his all-conquering RB19, Oscar Piastri would have dominated the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, as the Aussie won the sprint but finished second in the Grand Prix. Lando Norris also brought home his fair share of points: finishing third in both races.

The Woking outfit is predicted to have similarly commanding performance this year as it bids to clinch its first constructors’ title since 1998. Fitting Norris and Piastri into your line-up alongside a McLaren and Mercedes constructor duo could be too much of a squeeze on your budget, but luckily there are plenty of great low-budget options to choose from to fill out the rest of your F1 Fantasy squad.

Be aware too that the sprint race format means this week’s F1 Fantasy deadline is scheduled for Saturday November 30 at 2pm (GMT), after both first practice and sprint qualifying has concluded. Waiting for both sessions before finalising your F1 Fantasy squad, will give you the best sense of the running order.

Franco Colapinto ✅

Franco Colapinto‘s shine was seemingly wearing off in Las Vegas, as he followed a double DNF in Sao Paulo with another costly crash during qualifying in the Nevada desert.

Courtesy of his Williams mechanics, the Argentine driver was able to compete in Sunday’s Grand Prix and delivered a good F1 Fantasy points haul once again: finishing 14th and completing six overtakes to score 10 points.

‘That’s not a lot’ you may be thinking, but it’s still more than Zhou Guanyu, Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, Kevin Magnussen, Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon managed — and Colapinto is at least $1m cheaper than all of them!

Alex Albon ❌

Alex Albon can’t seem to catch a break.

The Thai driver was running as high as 14th in Las Vegas when he was asked to retire the car — resulting in another 20-point deduction for the 49% of F1 Fantasy players who continue to field him in their line-up.

The risk could be worth the reward in Qatar, as Albon has proven to possess the ability that can see his Williams leapfrogging up the grid. He even finished seventh during last year’s Qatar sprint and finished 13th during the following day’s Grand Prix.

But with Albon’s current spell of misfortune continuing to weigh him down, we’d suggest spending his $8.7m price tag on someone else.

Pierre Gasly ✅

After months of struggle, Pierre Gasly and Alpine have finally hit a hot streak.

The Frenchman finished third in Sao Paulo and followed that result up with a brilliant qualifying performance in Las Vegas, putting his car on the second row.

If not for an engine failure, Gasly could have finished inside the top ten — having previously shown the pace possible to run with the front-runners.

While it may seem risky to add Gasly to your line-up for Qatar, his rampant form suggests that another great result could be within reach. He’s also unlikely to cost your team any more points, as the Frenchman is currently on track to become the first driver to not cost his team a single penny in repair damages over the course of an entire F1 season.

Valtteri Bottas/Zhou Guanyu 🤔

Sauber is still yet to score a point with just two rounds remaining in the 2024 campaign and its odds of making any impression on the constructors’ standings are unlikely to increase in Qatar.

However, even without the car to compete, both Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas have proven to be valuable additions to F1 Fantasy squads.

For just $8.6m, Zhou has scored more points (70) than Kevin Magnussen, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda, while Bottas — who costs just $6.6m — has scored a respectable 50 points.

If your budget is stretched, either driver could be a good option. But given Sauber’s awful performance, you may want to look a little further afield for some more consistent options.

My F1 Fantasy team for the Qatar GP

For the Qatar GP, I’ve chosen to swap out all my Ferrari assets, which included both the constructor card and Charles Leclerc, writes Cambridge Kisby.

As I sold both assets for a profit, I’ve been able to add in Mercedes as one of my constructors — partnering McLaren — and have lined up Oscar Piastri alongside Lando Norris. Then for the rest of the line-up, I’ve blended form with experience: picking Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto and Valtteri Bottas.